1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glove box for use in an instrument panel on the front end of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, and more particularly to a glove box structure which allows various devices disposed behind a glove box to be serviced easily and smoothly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Instrument panels disposed at the front end of the passenger compartment of motor vehicles such as automobiles usually have a glove box positioned in front of the passenger seat for accommodating personal belongings and other small items.
The glove boxes are generally classified into two types. The glove boxes of one category are essentially a recess defined in the instrument panel and a lid hinged to the instrument panel for openably closing the recess. According to the other class, a separate glove box is removably placed in an opening defined in the instrument panel.
Motor vehicles often have an air bag for a passenger seat and an air-conditioning unit. If the inflator of such an air bag and the air-conditioning unit are positioned behind the glove box, then they cannot easily be serviced from within the passenger compartment because of a rear wall of the recess or the glove box itself which is located in front of the inflator and the air-conditioning unit. For easy and efficient maintenance of the inflator and the air-conditioning unit, therefore, it is necessary to remove the instrument panel in its entirety from the vehicle body or disassemble and remove the glove box from the instrument panel. Such a procedure is, however, inefficient as it retards the servicing process.
An alternative servicing practice for replacing the filter of the air-conditioning unit, for example, is to reach the air-conditioning unit from below the glove box. However, since the serviceman is required to put himself in a limited space in the passenger compartment and extend his arm to replace the filter, it is very hard and cumbersome to do the servicing process.